Shep

Artist / Maker Nina de Creeft Ward (American, b. 1933)

Date2000

OriginUSA

MediumClay

Dimensions5 1/2 x 6 x 4 in. (14 x 15.2 x 10.2 cm)

ClassificationsArt on Campus Preparatory Studies and Maquettes

Credit LineIowa Art in State Building Project for Reiman Gardens and in memory of Jamie Joy Helmer. In the Art on Campus Preparatory Studies and Maquette Collection, Christian Petersen Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object numberUM2000.64

Status

Not on view

Collections

CultureAmerican

Label TextFrom the University Museums Collections Handbook, vol. 2, 2025: The maquettes in the collection for Shep emphasize texture and pose. The artist, using her own dog as a model, created a large-scale sculpture installed outside of the Children’s Garden in Reiman Gardens. University Museums holds clay and fired raku maquettes of the sculpture. Once Ward established the form and texture, she created the final installation in cast bronze. Nina de Creeft Ward is known for depicting animals in sculpture, often in raku clay found in this maquette. Working in bronze for the final sculpture allows for durability in the outdoors installation and touch as part of the Children’s Garden, but comparing the dog’s fur texture in clay to the final product in bronze is an interesting exercise in the creative process.

SignedOn base, printed in yellow letters, Nina Ward.

Locations